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Building for Everyone: Expand Your Market With Design Practices from Google’s Product Inclusion Team

Tags: #technology #design #inclusion #diversity #user experience #product development #marketing #business ethics

Authors: Annie Jean-Baptiste

Overview

In Building for Everyone, I present a framework and actionable strategies for incorporating inclusion into product design and marketing. This is not about the ‘right thing to do’, but about doing the ‘smart’ thing to do – product inclusion is good for business. I show how bringing a wider variety of perspectives to the table leads to a richer end product and vastly improves customer engagement and brand loyalty, ultimately helping your company do well by doing good. Throughout the book, I share insights from business leaders, innovators, designers, and marketers – from Google and beyond – and present real-world examples of product inclusion principles put into practice, illustrating the many benefits of building products for everyone, with everyone. Whether you are a business leader, product manager, program manager, marketer, or designer, you will be equipped to contribute significantly to the success of your product or service by leveraging insight from your own background and experience and by viewing your work through a lens of inclusivity. This book is for you, your organization, your customers, and your users. It’s time to build for everyone, with everyone!

Book Outline

1. Building for Everyone: Why Product Inclusion Matters

The ultimate aim of product inclusion is to design products that cater to all users regardless of their background. This is driven by both a human reason – people matter – and a business reason – inclusivity is good for business. To design for a diverse world, product development needs to happen in an environment that reflects that world. This requires a deep understanding of users, their needs, preferences, and what makes them feel excluded.

Key concept: To ‘build for everyone, with everyone’ means building products that serve the needs of all people regardless of race, color, belief system, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability, or other qualities.

2. Google’s Capstone Research: What We Learned

My team at Google conducted capstone research to prove that inclusive product design results in better products and to demonstrate that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential business values. Our research provided valuable data to support both the human and business case for incorporating inclusion into product design processes.

Key concept: Capstone research can be compared to a ‘proof of concept’ – an exercise in proving or disproving the feasibility and potential value of a proposed initiative.

3. 20 Essential Product Inclusion Questions to Light the Way

These 20 essential product inclusion questions can help guide teams and individuals in understanding and implementing product inclusion. The first set of 10 questions can help a team assess its current level of understanding and build a strategy. The second set of 10 questions reflects those most commonly asked of our team and can be helpful to anyone advocating for product inclusion.

Key concept: 1. Has your team been exposed to product inclusion?

1. Have you identified a champion for your product inclusion efforts?
2. What is the product (or business) challenge you’re trying to solve?
3. What is the inclusion challenge you’re trying to solve?
4. How do the product/business and inclusion challenges align?
5. Whom do you need to influence to unlock resources to solve the problem?
6. What’s your action plan for a test/pilot?
7. What partners need to be involved to execute, document, measure, and communicate the results of your test/pilot?
8. How can you build the resources to continue this work beyond this workshop?
9. What is your public commitment to documenting and sharing the outcomes of your work in product inclusion (both internally and externally)?

4. Building the Case for Product Inclusion and Getting Buy-In

To effectively garner support for product inclusion, you need to make both a human case and a business case. The human case typically highlights the positive impact of inclusion on historically underrepresented consumers, while the business case presents the benefits of product inclusion from a financial perspective.

Key concept: Combining data (your business case) and relatable stories (your human case) provides rational and emotional incentive for people within your organization to help you move the work forward.

5. Adopting Product Inclusion Principles to Guide Your Work

To put product inclusion principles into practice, it’s useful to think in terms of ‘People, Processes, and Product’. People are those who invent, design, develop, test, and market products as well as the end users. Processes need to be set up to incorporate product inclusion in a meaningful way. Finally, the ultimate goal is to create an inclusive product.

Key concept: The 3 P’s: People, Processes, and Product

6. Integrating Product Inclusion with Your Work

OKRs are a widely adopted framework for defining and tracking business objectives. Teams can use OKRs to set product inclusion objectives and measure their progress toward meeting their goals.

Key concept: I will [objective] as measured by [set of key results].

7. Getting to Know Your Underrepresented Users

When trying to determine which stage of the product design process to focus on, remember that the earlier you introduce product inclusion, the greater the impact. If you are just beginning, I encourage you to start by gathering a diverse set of participants to think through and intentionally expand the definition of your target user and the use cases for your product. This can be done in an inclusive design sprint. You can also bring in diverse perspectives during user testing, which is a critical stage of product development.

Key concept: The four key phases of product design and development: 1. Ideation, 2. User Experience (UX), 3. User Testing, 4. Marketing.

8. Integrating Product Inclusion into the Ideation Process

Inclusive design sprints can be used to integrate product inclusion into the ideation phase of product development. The goal of an inclusive design sprint is to bring together people with different backgrounds, experience, and perspectives to design a more inclusive product. Lightning talks are another valuable tool for educating and inspiring product teams, they are effective for raising awareness and for getting the product inclusion conversation started.

Key concept: Inclusive design sprints are a very effective way to gather people with a diversity of perspectives to think big and inspire one another.

9. Starting Your Own Dogfooding and Adversarial Testing Programs

It is important to test your product with a diverse set of users. Two widely used methods for doing so are dogfooding and adversarial testing. Dogfooding is the practice of using your own product internally before it’s released to the public. Adversarial testing involves giving a diverse group of users the task of trying to ‘break’ the product before it launches.

Key concept: Dogfooders and testers from underrepresented groups are referred to as ‘inclusion champions.’

10. Making Your Marketing More Inclusive

Inclusive marketing is an extension of the inclusive practices integrated throughout the product design process. It should reflect the diversity of perspectives built into the product. In addition to casting people of different backgrounds in marketing materials, consider the following: Who is directing or filming the commercial, shooting the photos, or building the website? Who is crafting the narrative or writing the copy or script? Who is doing the voiceover?

Key concept: Hire people from all different backgrounds, and make sure your hiring is reflective of the world around you.

11. Measuring Product Inclusion Performance

To ensure you are optimizing the use of metrics to drive continuous improvement, first define your objectives. Then, choose metrics that provide a quantifiable measurement of performance or of progress toward meeting the specified objective. Ensure all members of the team are aware of the objectives and metrics, and for each metric, identify a method for taking the measurement. Set a frequency for taking measurements and for examining results; for example, weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Before implementing an initiative, take measurements to establish a baseline for comparison. Finally, determine who will be collecting data, analyzing that data, and reporting back to the team.

Key concept: Good teams have ‘metrics that matter.’ Great teams include metrics that focus on underrepresented users.

12. The Many Shades of Nude: Product Inclusion in Fashion and Retail

The fashion and retail industries can benefit greatly from product inclusion. In fashion, color and size play important roles. It can be very alienating for a consumer to be unable to find clothing or makeup in their shade. In retail, retailers should consider not only the inclusiveness of the products they carry but also of the shopping experience they provide.

Key concept: Expanding the hues that Gap focused on led to increased engagement and bottom-line sales. By allowing people to be able to walk into a store and find their version of ‘nude,’ Gap has done well for the business and good for the customer.

13. Looking to the Future of Product Inclusion

The momentum for diversity, equity, and inclusion is growing, and the conversation around product inclusion is extending beyond technology to include industries like medicine, fashion, retail, entertainment, education, and architecture. Consumers are driving change by ‘voting’ with their values, their wallets, and their ratings and reviews. Companies that prioritize product inclusion and authentically connect with users will reap the rewards in the form of new customers, more revenue, increased engagement, and positive word of mouth.

Key concept: Building for everyone, with everyone, is the right thing to do and the obvious path to future growth. It’s exciting that you can ‘do well and do good.’

Essential Questions

1. What is product inclusion, and why is it important?

Product inclusion is a critical aspect of successful product design and business growth. It involves recognizing the diversity of users and intentionally designing products and experiences that cater to their unique needs and preferences. This approach, termed ‘building for everyone, with everyone’, is driven by both ethical considerations and business imperatives. It recognizes that diversity enriches the world and that embracing inclusivity leads to better products, expanded market reach, and increased customer satisfaction.

2. What are the human and business cases for product inclusion?

The human case centers around stories and narratives that highlight the impact of exclusion on underrepresented users, showcasing the importance of designing products that make everyone feel seen, heard, and valued. The business case emphasizes the financial benefits of product inclusion, demonstrating how it leads to increased innovation, customer loyalty, and business growth by tapping into new markets and expanding the customer base.

3. How can organizations effectively integrate product inclusion into their work?

Jean-Baptiste outlines a structured approach to implementing product inclusion using the ‘3 P’s’ framework: People, Processes, and Product. ‘People’ highlights the importance of diverse teams and understanding diverse user needs. ‘Processes’ involves embedding inclusive practices into product development, from ideation to marketing. ‘Product’ emphasizes creating products that are accessible and relevant to a wide range of users.

4. How can organizations measure the success of their product inclusion initiatives?

Gathering data and tracking metrics are crucial for measuring the effectiveness of product inclusion efforts. This involves identifying key metrics, tracking progress over time, and making adjustments as needed. Data provides concrete evidence of the impact of product inclusion on user engagement, customer satisfaction, and business outcomes.

5. What does the future hold for product inclusion?

The future of product inclusion is promising, with growing momentum across various industries. As consumers become increasingly aware of the power they have in shaping organizations’ practices, they are demanding more inclusive products and experiences. Companies that prioritize product inclusion will likely thrive by tapping into new markets, fostering innovation, and building stronger relationships with diverse customers.

Key Takeaways

1. Diverse perspectives are essential during the ideation phase.

Bringing in a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives during the ideation phase leads to more inclusive and innovative products. It challenges assumptions, reveals blind spots, and opens up new possibilities that may not have been considered otherwise.

Practical Application:

During a design sprint for a new language learning app, include user representatives who speak different languages, come from diverse cultural backgrounds, and have varying levels of tech proficiency. This will provide insights into how to design an app that is accessible and engaging for a wider range of users.

2. Testing with real users, particularly from underrepresented groups, is crucial for product success.

Gathering feedback from real users, especially those from historically underrepresented groups, is crucial for identifying potential issues and ensuring that products meet the needs of a diverse customer base. This feedback should be actively sought throughout the product development process, not just at the end.

Practical Application:

A fashion company developing a new line of clothing could test prototypes with people of different body types, sizes, and abilities to ensure the clothing is comfortable, functional, and flattering for everyone.

3. Authenticity and relatability are key to inclusive marketing.

Consumers are increasingly attuned to authenticity and are more likely to connect with brands that demonstrate a genuine commitment to inclusivity. This involves showcasing real stories and experiences from diverse communities in a respectful and relatable way.

Practical Application:

A financial services company could create marketing materials that feature real customers from diverse backgrounds sharing their positive experiences with the company’s products and services. This authentic approach will likely resonate more strongly with consumers than generic marketing messages.

4. Gathering data and tracking metrics are crucial for measuring progress.

Tracking relevant metrics allows organizations to measure the effectiveness of their product inclusion efforts, identify areas for improvement, and demonstrate the positive impact of inclusion on business outcomes.

Practical Application:

A team working on a new feature for a healthcare app could analyze user data and engagement metrics specifically for users from underrepresented communities to assess whether the feature is meeting their needs and identify areas for improvement.

Suggested Deep Dive

Chapter: Chapter 9: Starting Your Own Dogfooding and Adversarial Testing Programs

Since you are developing study material for an AI product engineer, this chapter provides concrete examples of how dogfooding and adversarial testing can be applied to identify and address potential biases in AI systems.

Memorable Quotes

Introduction. 16

“Move fast and fix things.”

Planning for Success. 20

“If you do not intentionally, deliberately and proactively include, you will unintentionally exclude.”

Building for Everyone, with Everyone. 30

“Build for everyone, with everyone.”

Understanding What Exclusion Looks Like. 43

“Shining the light on exclusion is important, regardless of how uncomfortable it may make us feel, because exclusion is the opposite of inclusion.”

Learning from Our Experience. 82

“Love your customers and love their problems, and show up however you can.”

Comparative Analysis

While “Building for Everyone” shares a common goal with books like “Inclusive Design” by Kat Holmes and “Design Justice” by Sasha Costanza-Chock, it offers a more pragmatic and business-focused approach. Unlike academic texts that delve into the theoretical foundations of inclusion, Jean-Baptiste’s book emphasizes practical implementation, drawing heavily on real-world examples and case studies from Google and other companies. It provides a framework for integrating inclusion into every stage of product development, from ideation to marketing, and highlights the business case for diversity and inclusion, showcasing how inclusive design can lead to increased innovation, customer loyalty, and business growth. This emphasis on the practicalities of building inclusive products sets it apart, making it a valuable resource for practitioners seeking to operationalize inclusive design principles in their work.

Reflection

Building for Everyone provides a compelling argument for prioritizing product inclusion, emphasizing both its ethical and business dimensions. While Jean-Baptiste’s perspective, rooted in her experience at Google, offers valuable insights, it’s important to acknowledge that not all organizations have the resources or infrastructure of a tech giant. Implementing product inclusion in smaller organizations or industries with limited budgets may require more creative and adaptable approaches. However, the book’s emphasis on the importance of diversity, the need for data-driven decision-making, and the power of storytelling provides a solid foundation for anyone seeking to build more inclusive products and experiences. Its focus on actionable strategies, real-world examples, and the business case for inclusion makes it a valuable tool for organizations and individuals looking to operationalize inclusive design principles in their work.

Flashcards

What is the core concept of product inclusion?

Building products for everyone, with everyone.

What is a human case for product inclusion?

A story illustrating the importance of product inclusion for underrepresented consumers.

What is a business case for product inclusion?

Facts and figures that demonstrate the business benefits of product inclusion.

What is the 3 P’s framework for product inclusion?

People, Processes, and Product.

What is a design sprint?

A time-bound, team-based process for designing, prototyping, and testing new products.

What is dogfooding?

Internal testing of a product before public release.

What are adversarial testers?

Testers who try to ‘break’ a product before launch to identify potential issues.

What are product inclusion metrics?

Quantifiable measures used to track and evaluate the success of product inclusion.

What is inclusive marketing?

Ensuring marketing materials and campaigns reflect the diversity of users and avoid stereotypes.